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Best Five Journal Who Am I Wisdom

Top Ten Books Challenge

One of the first Bibles in English
One of the first Bibles in English

My wife challenged me on Facebook to list the top ten books that have influenced my life. I don’t necessarily take up every Facebook fad. But this one I consider a very thoughtful and potentially helpful exercise. One of the proverbs I heard along the way is “Leaders are readers!”   I agree totally. This challenge is also in keeping with one of the goals of my blog, to record the books I have read and comment on them. So here goes:

 

The Holy Bible – KJV Thompson Chain Reference.   I was given this for Christmas by my parents when I was about 12 years old. It represents the Bible-learning culture in which I was raised. It was my earliest textbook for studying the Bible. I still treasure it and use it occasionally.

The Holy Bible – NIV 1984. This version of the Bible became the translation that I read day after day, the version that molded my mindset and helped me communicate the Gospel to a generation that had never heard of King James of England, nor did they understand his language. Now I read and use the 2011 NIV since I follow the Reformation principle that the Bible must be in the language of the people. But the 1984 version will always be in my heart.

Growing Spiritually – E. Stanley Jones. I was in seminary, I think, when I read this devotional classic. I was captured and challenged by the practical Wesleyan theology, poignant illustration from life, and excellent thinking by one who has become one of my favorite devotional writers. This book prompted a definite step forward in my own spiritual growth.

Developing the Leaders around You – John C. Maxwell.   During my first pastorate I began to be mentored by the speaking and writing of John Maxwell. I didn’t know how much I needed it. I now have a dozen of his books that I have read and I still consider this one among his very best. I also have a shelf full of others on the topic of leadership. This book started me on a whole different journey of not just doing well myself, but enabling others to do well. This intentional focus as well as trying to teach church leaders to do the same has added untold dimensions to my ministry and extended its effectiveness many years. It has enabled me to be a factor in launching or enhancing the ministry of many others too.

Communication: Key to Your Marriage – H. Norman Wright.  With this book there was a companion volume The Pillars of Your Marriage.  They were not deep, but they were practical. They were intended for class use and included discussion questions too. I interacted with these books and other similar ones at a time in our marriage when I desperately needed to learn more about how to have a successful marriage. They were very helpful both to me personally and in my ministry over the years to others.

Secrets of the Vine – Bruce Wilkinson. Sometimes you are looking for books that will prod spiritual renewal in your life. This is such a book. I have now read the book at least three times. The first time I read it, I wrote in the cover, “I finished this book today…it was a life-changing experience.”

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell.   This is John Maxwell’s classic. It has helped me immensely to understand leadership and learn to practice it. I am still learning and growing.   This book confirmed for me that leadership is one of the three most essential areas of understanding/preparation needed by pastors. (The other two are preaching/teaching and counseling/personal work.)

Fresh Faith – Jim Cymbala. One of the areas I needed to grow spiritually as a pastor was faith. Reading Jim Cymbala’s testimony-laced books is one of the ways God has helped me to do that. It is challenging and inspiring to read what God is doing at Brooklyn Tabernacle and it makes one pray for greater faith.

Just Walk Across the Room – Bill Hybels. Another of the great mentors for pastors today is Bill Hybels. This book is among his best. It is such a practical and everyday approach to reaching other people for Jesus.   I think it is evangelism as it was meant to be. It has helped me to look for opportunities daily to be a blessing for Jesus’ sake.

The Purpose Drive Church – Rick Warren.   I had already been a pastor for 15 years when I read this book. I immediately said that it was the best book on how to do church that I had ever read. As far as I am concerned, it has not had a rival until Andy Stanley’s Deep and Wide came out in 2012.  Warren helped me to understand that discipleship was crucial and that I needed to help people step by step to move closer to the church as a part of their spiritual journey.

I’ve read so many books over the years that I can’t be sure I haven’t missed one somewhere. I reduced my library by more than half when I moved in 2013 and I still have four floor-to-ceiling bookshelves full in my office. I have tried to choose books for my top ten that represented important areas of reading. The best books often prompt us to read more by the same author or more in that subject area. All of these books have done that. And I keep buying new books and reading more.    I admit that the time I now spend on social media has cut into my reading time, but it has not eliminated it. I am still completing new books! How about you?

 

 

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Journal

Library thinned

Books to give away to mentees
Books to give away to mentees

I’ve completed thinning out my library according to the guidelines I published earlier.  Several associates, teachers and mentees have perused the boxes.   Some books were displayed on our yard sale as well.  However, few lookers took more than a small handful.   Seems like I remember coming away from such opportunities 20 years ago with armloads.  But the internet, the availability of cheap books and the busyness of contemporary life has created a different day.  So far JoAnne and I are finding that the demand for used books is very small.   A few classic authors were still desired.  But most who looked at the books said they already had too many books and didn’t have room for more.  There will still be opportunity to look over some of my books of books for a couple days.  I will probably start disposing of them early this next week so I can start packing the shelved ones to go to CT.

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Journal Who Am I Wisdom

Chronicling the reading habit

Reading is an important habit for all of us. Of course, our number one book to read is the Bible.   I have several ways to keep track of my reading.   When I finish a book that I own, I write the date in the front. Since I started blogging, I also try to write a short article for the book review section of my blog for each book that I have read, including the borrowed ones.   I have missed one or two.    My wife keeps notes including actual quotes in her computer from each book that she reads.    This is especially helpful to her as it preserves usable material from books she has read out of the public library. 

Both JoAnne and I always have several books going at once.   Inevitably, some get neglected while others take priority. This is just part of the way it is.   But eventually, most of them get finished.   Summer is a great time for reading.  I always manage to finish several books, as I did this year.   You can catch the three recent reviews in my book review section.

Choosing books to read is the heart of the matter.  I try to choose books that enrich the work that I’m doing.    And I usually have at least three different areas going at once to provide variety.   Often one is for fun or for my health.   I highly recommend the discipline of reading.  Whether it is from physical books or on electronic screens does not matter.

I usually have at least one book that challenges or encourages my spiritual life and/or my prayer life. This is a discipline I have maintained for many years.   The recent biography of Smith Wigglesworth was such a book.    Other books, I read to help me in my various responsibilities like the Gary McIntosh’s book on Taking Your Church to the Next Level.  Currently I am reading a book about college administration that is related to my work as a trustee at Houghton College.   Over the last several years, I have usually had at least one book related to leadership on my shelf with a bookmark part way through it.     For example, I finished a John Maxwell book last winter on being a people person (I haven’t reviewed it for my blog yet).  

 

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Church Leadership Journal Wisdom

Book recommendations for marriages in troubled times

Last Sunday I finished the series of sermons called Kitchen Table Talks on Relationships.  As I was studying for the series and reviewing various sourcebooks, I was thinking about which ones to recommend to couples who were going through difficult times in their marriages.   My wife and I know from personal experience that marriage is not always easy. But we also know that with God’s help, and determination to see it through, couples can come through rough waters with a better marriage than before.   To help couples who are currently in those tough moments, here are three book recommendations.   

Making Love Last Forever by Gary Smalley (Word Publishing, 1996)  In this easy-to-read book, Dr. Smalley handles some difficult topics such as unresolved anger, deep hurts,  disappointed expectations,  marital communication and personality differences with insight and Christian wisdom.  Taking his advice seriously will help couples get back on track.

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work  (Three Rivers Press, New York, 1999)  This is a different kind of book, an extremely practical and behavior-oriented book in which the author shares his research in predicting divorce and helping couples avoid it. He describes how he predicts whether a marital conflict will resolve the problem 96% of the time after only listening to 3 minutes of it.     I was skeptical until I began to read the signs he looks for, one of which is the presence of the deadly four horsemen:  criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.   I knew from personal experience with couples and from other reading that he was being very insightful and his work would be helpful.   

Fighting for Your Marriage by Howard Markham, Scott Stanley, and Susan L. Blumberg  (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1994)   This book has become a classic for its description of four negative patterns that are very harmful in a relationship, patterns that must be avoided if marriages are to be healed. The authors describe the patterns well including case study examples, explanations, and practical advice as to how to change the pattern.  The four specific patterns are escalation, invalidation, withdrawal and avoidance, and negative interpretations.  When these patterns are present in the emotional interaction in a marriage they are very destructive and need to be fixed in order for the marriage to recover. This book can be very helpful in eliminating these four patterns.

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Journal Wisdom

Book Recommendations on Dealing with Our Anger

This week’s continuation of the sermon series Kitchen Table Talks on Relationships dealt with the subject of anger in our relationships.   I did not have a chance to mention the resource books I wanted to recommend.  

One of the books I recommended last week; Making Love Last Forever by Gary Smalley (Word Publishing 1996) has several chapters relating to anger issues as well.  Chapter 3, for example is titled “Seven Ways to Unload Unresolved Anger.” 

Another small yet very helpful book is Coping with Your Anger by Andrew D. Lester (Westminster Press, 1983)   It is available either new or used from Amazon.

A third book I recommend is Overcoming Hurts and Anger by Dwight L. Carlson (Harvest House).   The version I have is dated 1981 but I discovered that it is now available in a newer 2000 revised and expanded edition. 

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Journal News Commentary

Is the idea of library becoming obsolete?

Yesterday, I was looking for a fact that I had used before concerning the early Greek documents of the Bible.  I walked from shelf to shelf in the library lining my office but did not see what I was looking for.  Mildly irritated that I could not find it quickly, I initiated a Google search and found information even more up-to-date than what I had been looking for in my library.  I stopped momentarily to reflect on what had just happened. It occurred to me that what was happening on my desk through the computer and the Internet was rendering my library, painstakingly collected over decades, obsolete.  I thought about the Greek and Hebrew references that I seldom use because I can access similar versions stored on my hard drive much more quickly.  

Today, on the news, I read an article that may well report the trend that will be the stake in the heart of libraries like mine and maybe bigger ones too.   

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43093477/ns/business-retail/

The news reported that Amazon is now selling more electronic books than physical books and this only four years after they started selling electronic books.  This means the transition from physical books that you hold to versions that you watch on the screen is accelerating more than we had imagined.

I stop to think a little about what this means. What will happen to the thousands of books that people like me have collected? Will no one want them– preferring instead electronic versions?  Will there be no bookshelves in houses–only screens? Will libraries become simply banks of computer servers rather than repositories of actual books? Certainly the transition that this marks is epochal.